Dick Nolan VS Bum Phillips

[SixtiesFan]

Dick Nolan played with my father on Maryland's 1953 national championship team. I got to meet him at a 50th anniversary celebration during halftime of a Terps game (along with other future pros like Ronnie Waller, Chet Hanulak and Bob Pellegrini), and must say he had quite the "bourbon tan" going by then. He could not have been nicer, and I interviewed him for a profile of him I wrote for Coffin Corner ("Dick Nolan: Man of Many Seasons"). Nolan inherited a solid core of veterans when he started with the 49ers in 1968 (John Brodie, Jim Johnson, Roland Lakes, Ken Willard, Len Rhode, etc.) and they had a couple of really good drafts in his early years that brought them players like Gene Washington, Bruce Taylor and Ted Kwalick. After their third straight playoff appearance in 1972, the veterans started aging and they had a series of lousy drafts. It went downhill from there.

I recall Joel Buchsbaum wrote that Nolan lost his job with the 49ers because his scouts failed him, resulting in bad drafts.

[BD Sullivan]

Dick Nolan played with my father on Maryland's 1953 national championship team. I got to meet him at a 50th anniversary celebration during halftime of a Terps game (along with other future pros like Ronnie Waller, Chet Hanulak and Bob Pellegrini), and must say he had quite the "bourbon tan" going by then. He could not have been nicer, and I interviewed him for a profile of him I wrote for Coffin Corner ("Dick Nolan: Man of Many Seasons"). Nolan inherited a solid core of veterans when he started with the 49ers in 1968 (John Brodie, Jim Johnson, Roland Lakes, Ken Willard, Len Rhode, etc.) and they had a couple of really good drafts in his early years that brought them players like Gene Washington, Bruce Taylor and Ted Kwalick. After their third straight playoff appearance in 1972, the veterans started aging and they had a series of lousy drafts. It went downhill from there.

I recall Joel Buchsbaum wrote that Nolan lost his job with the 49ers because his scouts failed him, resulting in bad drafts.

Looking at their first three rounds from 1971-75, the 1974-75 drafts saw the Niners pick up quality players like Delvin Williams, Wilbur Jackson, Jimmy Webb and Keith Fahnhorst. Of course, by the time they developed, it was too late for Nolan. From 1971-73, they had first round flops like Terry Beasley and Mike Holmes, second round disasters like Joe Orduna and Ernie Janet, and immortal third rounders like Jubilee Dunbar.

[Bryan]

From 1971-73, they had first round flops like Terry Beasley

Even in the relatively unenlightened age of the early 70's, I think that most NFL teams could see that short, slow white guys were probably not the future of the WR position. Kind of a bad pick, as were most of their 1971-1973 picks like you mentioned.

Those 1970-72 Niners teams were interesting in that a lot of their best players were old. Wilcox and Johnson were among the best players in the league prior to the Niners becoming good. I think the Niners had enough good young players like Washington, Kwalick, Forrest Blue, etc. to remain competitive after 1972, but the franchise never really could find a replacement for John Brodie at QB. I think that fact and the rise of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West is what knocked the Niners out of the NFC picture for the remainder of the 1970's.

Quick question...Forrest Blue picked up a fumble and ran 25 yards for a TD in a 1971 game against the Patriots. Is that the longest fumble return TD by an offensive lineman? Does anyone have an account as to what actually happened on that play?

[BD Sullivan]

From 1971-73, they had first round flops like Terry Beasley

Quick question...Forrest Blue picked up a fumble and ran 25 yards for a TD in a 1971 game against the Patriots. Is that the longest fumble return TD by an offensive lineman? Does anyone have an account as to what actually happened on that play?

With just under a minute left, Patriot punter Ron Gardin fumbled his second punt of the day. Blue picked it up and scored to make the final 27-10. The earlier fumble was also costly, with SF recovering on the NE 18 and allowing the Niners to quickly convert for the TD.

[SixtiesFan]

From 1971-73, they had first round flops like Terry Beasley

Even in the relatively unenlightened age of the early 70's, I think that most NFL teams could see that short, slow white guys were probably not the future of the WR position. Kind of a bad pick, as were most of their 1971-1973 picks like you mentioned.

Those 1970-72 Niners teams were interesting in that a lot of their best players were old. Wilcox and Johnson were among the best players in the league prior to the Niners becoming good. I think the Niners had enough good young players like Washington, Kwalick, Forrest Blue, etc. to remain competitive after 1972, but the franchise never really could find a replacement for John Brodie at QB. I think that fact and the rise of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West is what knocked the Niners out of the NFC picture for the remainder of the 1970's.

Quick question...Forrest Blue picked up a fumble and ran 25 yards for a TD in a 1971 game against the Patriots. Is that the longest fumble return TD by an offensive lineman? Does anyone have an account as to what actually happened on that play?

Why do you think Terry Beasley was a "short, slow white guy?" I saw him play for Auburn (he WAS short) and he was anything but slow. Beasley ran track (before his coach had him concentrate on football) and ran 9.4, 9.5 hundreds. He was said to have run a 9.3 hundred but it was ruled wind-aided.

As it happened, Beasley was banged up with several bad concussions (which the scouts missed) at the end of his college career. And would you like to have a dollar for every "fast black guy" who didn't pan out as a WR?